European trade deal: Aussie farmers fear losing rights to food names
Australia could lose the right to use food and spirit names in a new trade deal with Europe, with the national farming lobby urging the Australian Government not to sign a deal. Here’s what’s under threat.
AUSTRALIA should refuse to sign any free trade agreement with Europe that forces it to give up food names such as feta, the National Farmers’ Federation says.
The peak farming lobby fears agriculture will be made a “sacrificial lamb” in a trade deal with the European Union, with the EU digging in on geographical indications.
Europe wants exclusive use of 172 food names and 236 spirits under the agreement – including feta, gruyere and gorgonzola – which Australian producers say will harm their markets at home and abroad.
NFF’s general manager for trade Ash Salardini said if geographical indicators were put on agricultural goods, farmers would not be able to access the new markets promised by a trade deal, as well as find their intellectual property threatened.
“They won’t be able to use (those names) in Australia anymore – that’s a pretty big own goal for Australia in that set of circumstances,” he said.
“Would you buy ‘European-style white cheese’ if your recipe calls for feta?”
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the Government had made clear it would make no commitment on GIs until later in negotiations, and only if the whole deal was in Australia’s interests “including by delivering commercially significant new market access for our agricultural products”.
He said finding new opportunities in a “large, stable market” such as the EU had become even more important as the nation recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, and would give farmers more export options globally.
“While securing a free-trade agreement with the EU presents significant new market access for Australian exporters, we will only do this deal if it is in Australia’s overall best interests,” Mr Birmingham said.
The Government earlier this month launched consultation on how a new geographical indicator right under intellectual property law could be implemented, in the context of an EU deal.
If EU geographical indicators are agreed to, Australia would need to amend its laws; the Government insists that “nothing in this consultation means the Australian Government has agreed, or will agree” to the new geographical indicators.
But the NFF remains concerned, fearing Australia’s willingness to undertake the consultation sends “the wrong signal” to the EU.
“We’re not in a position to talk about how, when we’re still yet to see whether we would accept (the GIs) or not,” Mr Salardini said.
“We’re very supportive of free trade agreements, including with the EU, but we want to make sure it’s beneficial for us.”
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